Yemeni jet carrying 153 crashes off Comoros

MORONI, COMOROS — An airliner belonging to Yemeni state carrier Yemenia that was carrying 153 people crashed into choppy seas as it came in to land on the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros today, officials said.

"Not yet," an airline official told Reuters when asked whether the carrier had information about survivors, adding that the 142 passengers included nationals of France and the Comoros.

The Airbus 310 aircraft that also carried 11 crew members was en route from Sana, Yemen, to Moroni, the Comoros' capital, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said, "The plane has crashed, and we still don't know exactly where. We think it's in the area of Mitsamiouli."

A Paris airport spokeswoman said a Yemenia flight left Monday morning before landing in Yemen and then taking off for Moroni.

Ibrahim Kassim, a representative from regional air security body ASECNA said the plane had probably gone down three to six miles from the coast, and civilian and military boats had been mobilized to start searching.

"We think the crash is somewhere along its landing approach," Kassim said. "The weather is really not very favorable. The sea is very rough."